Researchers: The monkey pox virus has mutated at a “faster-than-expected” rate
When experts compared the structure of the virus to that tested in 2019, it seems that the most recently released version found 50 more genetic variations, which may indicate “accelerated evolution”
Experts who are researching the genetic structure of the monkey pox virus say the virus appears to have mutated far beyond what would normally be expected.
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Chickenpox is a rare disease that originates in animals, and is from the family of smallpox viruses. It has been endemic in Western and Central African countries for years, but this year the outbreak has been recorded in many Western countries, including cases unknown to the African region.
While the known virus can be transmitted by close contact with lesions, body fluids and respiratory droplets, the current outbreak marks uncertainty about how the virus spreads, this time at a faster than normal rate.
In the latest study, in which researchers from Portugal collected 15 sequences of patients in their country, 50 genetic variations were found compared to the versions from 2018 and 2019. This, they say, is “much more than one might expect,” which may indicate “accelerated evolution.”
“Our data reveal further clues to ongoing viral evolution, and potential human adaptation,” the researchers wrote, noting that more studies are needed to understand more.
Joao Paulo Gomes, head of the genomics and bioinformatics unit at the National Institute of Health in Portugal, who co-authored the study, said: Given that the monkey pox virus from 2022 is probably a descendant of the one that erupted in Nigeria in 2017, one could expect no more than five to 10 mutations More – but now 50 mutations have been observed. “
Pam Valley, a professor of medical neurology at the University of Manchester, said that “in this case, the new mutations help the virus adapt to human-to-human transmission,” but stressed: “This is just a theory that fits the current evidence. really”.
When it was claimed that the spread of the virus had not been detected in time, Alex Siegel – a virologist at the Institute of African Health Research, who was not part of the study, said that “I think the current outbreak has been under our radar for some time”.
“The findings are worrying, but it remains to be seen if this virus will continue to spread once people start becoming aware of the signs and we will see if it breaks out in the general population,” he said. “If it depends more on contact than the airways – it should be easy to stop the virus.”
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